Tuesday, February 28, 2017

When
Jesus died, eleven of the twelve fled. Their hopes dashed, it felt as if
everything had fallen apart. And Judas, the twelfth, could see no future for
himself at all and took his own life.

On
the third day they met with all the women and the other disciples behind closed
doors when it happened. Peace be with you, said the risen Jesus to them and
they knew this was only the beginning.

Out
on the mountain top back in Galilee where it had all started, six weeks later
he gave them a task to fulfil.

Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them

in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

and
teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.

It
was a task they knew they could not accomplish in their own strength.

Ten days later they were again behind locked doors. And then it was it
happened. They sensed they were not alone – there was a strength, a power, such
as they had not experienced before, a strength a power from beyond themselves –
words could not describe it. It was as if it was tongues of fire touching them,
each one; it was as if it was the sound of a rushing, mighty wind.

Now
it really was beginning.

Read
the opening chapters of Acts and there is a buzz as they take the message of
Jesus on to the streets of Jerusalem. And people are caught by the buzz. And
more and more follow this way of Jesus.

It’s
exciting stuff – lives are changed, the Jesus movement has taken off. It really
is a wonderful new beginning.

But
it needs to be organized. There needs to be some kind of organization.

If
you are going to make a difference you need to be organized.

Especially
if people are involved!

And
people were involved. The thing about people is that they can so very easily
fall out. They need organizing.

Now during those
days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained
against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily
distribution of food.

For
a couple of hundred years there had been tensions in the city of Jerusalem
between those who were drawn to the Hellensitic way of doing things – the world
of the Roman empire with the sports stadium Herod the Great had built, the
Gymnasium – where Greek and Roman ways prevailed … and the Jewish way of doing
things of the Hebrews. Some didn’t want anything to do with the ways of the
Greeks and the Romans. And among those captivated by the teachings of Jesus
were Hellenists and Hebrews, those entirely at home in the Greek and Roman way
of life and those drawn to a stricter Hebrew Jewish way of life.

The
tensions came to a head in the daily distribution of food. Something had to be
done.

In
what happens next we get a glimpse of the way the earliest church organized
itself.

And the twelve
called together the whole community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right
that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. Therefore,
friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the
Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part,
will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.’

What’s
interesting there is that the Twelve gather the whole community of the
disciples together – there’s a meeting of the whole church community. The
Twelve have come up with a way of tackling the situation which will enable them
to continue with the buzz of that mission spreading the good news of Jesus and
at the same time ensure that the practicalities of food distribution are
carried out fairly.

They
do not select the seven most appropriate people themselves. They want to
entrust the community as a whole to select the seven fitted for the task.

Having
mapped out the plan they have to solve the problem, they then put their plan to
the gathered community who have the opportunity to have their say before the
plan goes ahead.

What they said
pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and
the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and
Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.

Notice
the selection is made by the whole community. They then bring these seven
before the Apostles who set them apart.

They had these men
stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

So
the Apostles have responsibility for prayer and serving the word, while the
seven are to serve the whole community in the practicalities of what needs to
be done to resolve the problem that had arisen. With good organization now
things are able to move forward once again …

The word
of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in
Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

One
footnote to the story – there are no hard and fast distinctions between the
roles those people are playing. The first to be named, Stephen, was noted as a
man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

Stephen, full of
grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

What’s
more he was a great speaker, a great debater who spoke with wisdom and the
Spirit. Arrested he gives a wonderful account of his faith in Jesus that is one
of the longest if not the longest speech to be recorded in Acts. And, with
Saul’s connivance, he is taken out and stoned to death becoming the first
Christian martyr.

Since
the start of Advent we have been looking at what it takes to be church here at
Highbury.

We
are called to be Christ-centred, Spirit-filled, rooted in the Bible, open to
all, worshipful, prayerful, missional, visionary. There’s a buzz in all those
words and rightly so.

And
today we arrive at the last in our sequence … and you might think it’s a bit of a let-down. We are
called to be ‘well-managed’.

Boring! Who wants to know about management,
organization – let’s just focus on what Church is really all about.

But
actually from the first church needs to be organized, it needs to be
well-managed.

That’s
why it is important to come along to our Annual Meeting on Thursday – I do hope
you will be able to come.

In
seeking to be a church that is Christ-centred, Spirit-filled and rooted in the
Bible we find the roots of our way of being church and of organizing church
here in the New Testament and this passage is one of the telling passages we
draw on.

There
is no blueprint for church in the New Testament – and different ways of being
church will trace their roots to different parts of the New Testament.

This
is where we find our roots.

Even
at the very first, when you might have thought the twelve might have had the
kind of authority to enable them to act without consultation they in fact
“called together the whole community of the disciples”. They put a plan to them
and then they sought the response of the whole gathered community – “What they
said pleased the whole community”

It
was the whole gathered community then who set apart the seven to respond to the
situation and the whole gathered community that brought the seven before the
Apostles for them to pray and lay hands on them.

Unlike
Anglicans, Catholics and Orthodox who have a hierarchy of Priests and Bishops
Archbishops, national synods and the like to determine the way the church is
run

And
unlike Methodists, Presbyterians, URC who have a national structure of
provinces, synods, districts and a national assembly with responsibility for
faith and order, for doctrine and discipline

We
in our Congregational church share with Baptists and many independent churches
a focus on the gathering together of the whole community of the church in each
local place.

So
what did you score in the survey when you were asked to say how well you
understood the way Highbury Congregational Church works?

I
have updated the leaflet we prepared three years ago to picture the church and
the way it works.

Highbury
Congregational Church

A
place to share Christian friendship, explore Christian faith, and enter into Christian
Mission with Christ at the centre and open to all

As
people feel at home and that they belong it is important to us that they
register their sense of belonging and become Church Members – we ask all who
belong to make a simple statement of faith in God and

Jesus
Christ as Lord and Saviour.

We
very much hope that each person who belongs can be committed to one or more
areas of church life in things they do and/ or in prayer: worship, children’s
work, youth work, mission and outreach, pastoral care and discipleship.

Church Meeting

Those
who share that simple statement of faith are our equiavalent of what Acts 6
describes as ‘the whole community of disciples’ here in this place. Our
quarterly Church meeting is where we all have the opportunity to gather
together and shape the life of the church and set its future direction – but in
doing that we are not just wanting to take a vote – we meet in the presence of
Christ with the love of God in our hearts and the guidance of the Holy Spirit
and so we think of ourselves as ‘seeking not just the mind of the meeting, but
seeking the mind of Christ for the future of our church.

Minister and
Ministry Leaders

It
is the gathering together of the whole community of our church in Church
Meeting that has the responsibility then to appoint a Minister to serve the
church family and a team of Ministry leaders to work collaboratively together
in the service of the whole church in worship, children’s work, youth work,
mission and outreach, pastoral care and in growing a spirit of discipleship.

Deacons

The
Church meeting also elects five Deacons who serve the Church as Managing
Trustees and ensure all the Church does is in keeping with its aims as a Congregational Church and its
responsibilities as a Charity with reference to finances, safeguarding, health
and safety, disability, employment and other legislation

Deacons
interview and recommend a name for Minister, Ministry Team Leader for Church
Meeting, and then review and support Ministry Team. They also ensure good
employment practice for paid employees and volunteers.

Church Secretary
and Treasurer

We
are all served wonderfully by our Church Secretary, Helen Roberts, and our
Church Treasurer, Roger Gregory. Who help to make it all work well.

That’s
how HIghbury Congregational Church works and it is our prayer that it is
well-managed.

There
are quite a number of people who have joined us – it would be great to welcome
you into church membership as you make that statement of faith – do have a word
with me – I hope to have a chat in the next few weeks.

In
our set-up this is us. There’s no one else somewhere else to bail us out and
come in and sort us out. Though we are part of a fellowship of like-minded
churches who can share resources and be a help to each other.

At
the end of that passage in Acts there’s a wonderful comment

The
word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly

Our
hope and prayer as we meet together in our Church meeting is that here through
this church and its work the Word of God can continue to spreak – and our
prayer is that the number of the disciples here in this place will increase …
greatly!

To
help that happen our Deacons and our Minsitry Leaders are going to be sharing
thoughts at our Church Meeting which I invite you to come and find out more
about!

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Text of the Week:
The king said to her, ‘What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall
be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.’ Esther 5:3

Welcome to our services today and a special
welcome if you are worshipping with us for the first time. This Tuesday sees
the start of our short course leading up to Easter, The Life of Faith. Whether
you have joined our church family recently or been part of our church family
for the first time it’s a good opportunity to look at the faith that binds us
together as a church family. This Tuesday we are going to begin by looking at
what Christians believe from the perspective we share as a church family. Do join
us if you can. On Sundays we have been looking at what it means to be church
here at Highbury: we are called to be Christ-centred, Spirit-filled, Rooted in
the Bible, Open to All, Worshipful, Prayerful, Missional, and today, Visionary.
In many ways today is the first of two Sundays when we have the opportunity to
prepare for our Annual Church Meeting when we are going to review the three
years since we introduced a new way of working for our church. If you haven’t
already filled in a survey please fill one in today. Three years ago we shared
a vision for our church: is that the vision we share today? What’s your vision
for our church today? Do join us at our Church Meeting on Thursday 2nd March at
7-30. Cheltenham’s second Christian Arts Festival is coming – be sure to take a
brochure and book the dates in your diary!

Welcome
and Call to Worship

Praise
with Hy-Spirit

Prayer
and the Lord’s Prayer

Esther’s
Story

Reading:
Esther 6:14 – 7:3

A
Hy-Spirit Song

Activities
for all over 3

A
Vision to Share

Hebrews
12:1-2 and 13:1-7

Hymn:
Be thou my vision

Prayers
of Concern

Hy-Spirit
Song

The
Lord’s Supper

Communion
Offering & Dedication

Hymn:
In Christ alone

Words
of Blessing

Retiring
Collection

Of
all the words that Jesus used to describe his followers one of the most
precious to my mind was a word he used as he gathered with those followers to
share one last supper with them. As we gather together to share around the
table in bread that is broken and cup that is shared it’s a word that to my
mind is as precious now as it was then.

“I
do not call you servants any longer … but I have called you friends”

In
some ways it’s a word that has come into its own in our age of Facebook. In
other ways it’s a word that has been diminished in meaning by its over use on
Facebook.

After
the horrors of the second world war every effort was made to build friendships
that would build bridges between peoples who had been at war. Barbara Cullis
has a wonderful story to tell of her class being linked up with a class from a
school in Germnay so they could all have pen pals. There weren’t enough girls
in the German class for all the girls in her class at Pate’s Girls School as it
was then. So she made do with a boy. And
she has corresponded with him ever since.

Friendships
across those divides is what has been celebrated in Sandford Park – with links
to Cheltenham’s twin towns. I have a liking for the Friendship circle – a two
dimensional pattern that is realised in three different ways set in a circle –
circles of friendship that take on all sorts of different forms.

Whatever
form that friendship takes we can recognize ‘friendship’. It was the way Jesus
described his followers at the table. And with that description comes a command
that he gives.

This
is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Ever
since I first encountered Quakers through the one who was my best friend at
primary School something has drawn me to their ways – they think of themselves
not so much as Quakers as the Society of Friends. It is what binds them
together as followers of Christ, that they are friends together.

It’s
at the heart of the vision we shared three years ago when we were thinking
about new structures for the life of our church. On Thursday, 2nd
March, a week on Thursday at our annual meeting we are going to reflect on the
last three years of the life of the church here at Highbury – if you haven’t
already, do fill in one of those surveys – today is the last chance to do that.

One
of the things we did three years ago was to reaffirm the vision we had shared
for the life of the church. And this is where it starts, around this table
where Jesus says to us, “I have called you my friends’

Our
prayer is that Highbury be a place to share Christian friendship. Where we can
come alongside each other as equals, where we can support one another, care for
one another, and discover the value of Christian friendship.

When
Jesus used those words he wanted his followers not just to think of themselves
as friends with each other, but as friends of his. You are my friends.

Jesus
offers his friendship to all of us together, but he also offers that friendship
to each of us individually. And that’s where faith comes in. Faith is not a set
of creedal statements to sign up to, faith is what draws us to realise the
reality of that friendship Christ offers to all of us and to each of us. The
risen Christ promises to be with us always – a presence alongside us through
good times and ill.

Friendships
grow and change and develop – so too with Christ and the friendship he offers
us. Faith is not a take-it-or-leave-it package it is something that grows and
develops and changes and has its ups and downs.

It’s
something to explore and to keep on exploring. Getting to know Christ more and
more.

One
of the things we try to do is to run short courses that introduce the Christian
faith and help us to explore that faith together – we have given those evenings
an overall title and think of them as our
Explore evenings together on a Tuesday.

This
Tuesday sees the start of our short course leading up to Easter, The Life of
Faith. Whether you have joined our church family recently or been part of our
church family for the first time it’s a good opportunity to look at the faith
that binds us together as a church family. This Tuesday we are going to begin
by looking at what Christians believe from the perspective we share as a church
family. Do join us if you can.

Our
prayer is that Highbury be a place to share Christian friendship, explore
Christian faith and enter into Christian mission. There’s something for each of
us to do – in caring for others, in making a differenced, in pastoral care, in
sharing the good news of the message of Christ and the Christian faith with
others around us.

We’ve
been looking at what it takes to be church – Christ-centred, Spirit-filled,
rooted in the Bible, open to all, worshipful, prayerful, missional and today we
are looking at the way we are called to be visionary.

How
important it is to have a vision for our church.

We
expressed our vision for the church three years ago in this way …

That
Highbury be a place to share Christian friendship, explore Christian faith and
enter into Christian mission with Christ at the centre and open to all.

I
like that Friendship circle in Sandford park – I like picturing church as a
circle. A circle has a centre – and it is Christ at the centre of what we seek
to do but the circle of our church family should be an open circle that is
welcoming to all.

So
heading for our Church meeting as we look to the future ahead of us a couple of
verses come very much to my mind towards the end of the letter to the Hebrews.

Chapter
11 is a wonderful chapter celebrating the faith of the people who had gone
before whose stories are told in the Old Testament.

And
then we reach these wonderful words …

Therefore,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,

let
us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,

and
let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,

looking
to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,

who
for the sake of the joy that was set before him

endured
the cross, disregarding its shame,

and
has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

I
love that image of the race – we have to keep running till the end of the
course – we are called to run with perseverance – shake off the things that
hinder us and weigh us down.

And
as we run we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus

The
pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

The one who blazes the trail ahead of us and opens up a path for us to follow
through life – and brings it to completion as well.

We
keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith,

The
one on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.

Keep
at it.

What
does that look like?

Let mutual love continue.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,

for by doing that some have entertained angels without
knowing it.

Remember those who are in prison,

as though you were in prison with them;

those who are being tortured,

as though you yourselves were being tortured.

Let marriage be held in honour by all,

and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled;

for God will judge fornicators and adulterers.

Keep your lives free from the love of money,

and be content with what you have;

for he has said,

‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’

So we can say with confidence,
‘The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?’

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Text
of the Week: Fight the good fight of the faith, take hold of the eternal life,
wo which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the
presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12)

The
Gospels begin and end with a call to mission. No wonder it has been said that
church exists for other people. So welcome to our services today and a special
welcome to any worshipping with us for the first time. As this year begins we
are looking at what it takes to be church here at Highbury. We are called to be
Christ-centred, Spirit-filled, Bible-based, Open to All, Worshipful and
Prayerful. Today we look at the way we are called to be Missional. The Gospels
begin with the call to mission Jesus shares in the synagogue in Nazareth. He
drew inspiration from the last part of Isaiah: mission nvolved bringing good
news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and
letting the oppressed go free. A little further on Isaiah has a vision for a
world where the youngest and the oldest are cared for, all have a home and
somewhere to live, and enemies are reconciled. This is the mission we share.
But it is not ‘our’ mission. It is not ‘the church’s mission. It is ‘God’s’
mission. And God is at work in his world to bring this mission about. Our task
is to see where God is at work, come alongside and join in. The Gospels end
with a call to mission as Jesus commissions his disciples: “Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I
have commanded you.” That too is the mission we share. And as we carry that
mission out we are not alone for Jesus went on to say, “Remember, I am with you
always, to the end of the age.”

Welcome and Call
to Worship

36 O God beyond
all praising

Prayer and the
Lord’s Prayer

In Praise – Psalm
98 – the Congregation

A Hy-Spirit Song

I’m
not sure whether you can claim it’s the only organisation like it, but I am
sure it’s true. The church exists for other people. I’ve been doing the reports
for the Annual Meeting … and I’ve kept the deadline for next month’s Highbury
News! We are now registered as a charity so that means our reports have to follow
a set pattern. In particular we have to
demonstrate that what we do is of ‘public benefit’.

I’ve
found that really helpful – because that’s the very nature of what it means to
be church. We are here to make a difference. We are here to do good and to do
good for people other than ourselves.

That’s
what it is all about.

We’ve
been looking at what it takes to be church here at Highbury. We are called to
be Christ-centred, Spirit-filled, Rooted in the Bible, Inclusive and Open to
All, Worshipful, Prayerful and today we are going to reflect on the way we are
called to be missional.

We
are called to be outward looking. We are called to make a difference to benefit
people. If we don’t do that what’s the point?!

So,
what does it mean to be missional.

It
has been said that all good stories have a beginning, a middle and an end.

The
story of Jesus is no exception.

If
we want to find out what it means to be missional we need to look to the
beginning, the middle and the end of the Gospel story of Jesus.

So,
let’s begin at the beginning, a very good place to start.

It
all starts in his own home town of Nazareth, in his own home synagogue where
his custom was to gather together to sense the presence of God in the reading
of the Scriptures, in prayer and in fellowship. And it begins with a place in
the Bible that Jesus was so at home in, in the Prophet Isaiah and in chapter
61.

It’s
as if Jesus uses these words as the basis for all that he is going to do. This
is what it is all about.

Luke 4:16-21

When
he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up,

he
went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom.

He
stood up to read,

and
the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.

He
unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

‘The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

And
he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.

The
eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.

Then
he began to say to them,

‘Today
this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’

Good
News to the Poor

Release
to the captives

Recovery
of sight to the blind

Freedom
for the oppressed

To
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour

This
is what the people have been waiting for: this is it! It’s all going to happen
now.

All
spoke well of him and were amazed at the words of grace that came from his
mouth.

But,
as they settled down to hear what this Rabbi who spoke with authority was going
to say their amazement quickly turned to rage.

They
knew exactly who the poor were who needed Good News, they knew just who the
captives were who needed release, they knew exactly who was blind and who
needed to see, they knew exactly who the oppressed were, they knew exactly who
needed to hear the proclaimation that this was a year of jubilee, the year when
wrongs were righted, debts were cleared and everyone could begin all over
again.

As
far as those who were listening to jesus were concerned it was US, OUR poor,
OUR captives, OUR blind, OUR oppressed – it was US who needed to hear that this
was the year when everyone could begin all over again.

What
Jesus said next came as something of a surprise. More than that, it shocked
them to the core. It turned them from amazement at his words of grace to such
rage that they got up, drove him out of the town and led him to the bnrow of
the hill on which the town was built so that they might hurl him off the cliff.

But
Jesus stood his ground. He knew exactly what he was about. He passed through
the midst of them and went on his way. And his mission began.

Down
from the mountains and Nazareth to the shores of the Sea of Galilee and
Capernaum and on into the towns and villages of the Galilee – he taught as one
who had remarkable authority – Love God, love your neighbour, love your enemy
too. He brought healing to people suffering in body and in mind.

And
his mission had no bounds: it was for everyone: Jew and Gentile, rich and poor,
women and men.

This
was what it was all about.

And
Jesus did not go it alone. First it was
the twelve he commissioned to share in the task, then it was the 72, then it
was all his followers … and it’s been a call to every generation, and to us as
well.

We
shouldn’t be surprised if such a mission meets with rage as well as amazement.

We
are called to side with the poor and the most vulnerable. Practical help as far
as we are able.

Practical
things – maybe we each can think of someone, some need that is great that we
can do something about this week. Maybe in the context we find ourselves in.

What
about rough sleepers, homelessness – massively on the increase - practical
support in a co-ordinated way – I am drawn to respond with any request forfood,
with support to the food bank, with support to the charities working with them
– CCP we know, P3 as well in our town.

But
the way things are organised too – we have to address. Very difficult, very
hard: could there not be a willingness to accept an increase in tax to help
meet the social care needs.

And
what about children in need? Social care needs of our local authorities. But
then an emergency response to the refugee crisis and in particular the promise
tha was made to bring 3000 lone children as refugees – now reduced to 350.
That’s something we cannot stand by and simply let happen.

The
beginning of Jesus’ ministry there in Nazareth in the Synagogue in the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah quickly led on to the central part of his mssion.

It
was all about the Kingdom, the Kingdom of
God, the Kingdom of heaven. And it’s right there in the prayer Jesus
taught us to pray.

What’s
the kingdom like? It’s right there in the prayer Jesus taught us to pray.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.

Two
phrases that say the same thing.

God’s
kingdom is where God’s will is done, God’s will for good, God’s will for love,
God’s will for mercy, God’s will for justice. Read through the teaching of

Jesus,
listen again to the stories he told, the parables he shared. This is what it’s
all about.

The
shape of the kingdom is spelled out in those last chapters of Isaiah. There’s a
wonderful vision in Isaiah 65 of new heavens and a new earth.

Isaiah
65:18-

What’s
this new heaven and new earth like – this is God’s will for good, for peace,
for love, for justice

Distress
is relieved

Infants
are cared for

Elderly
people are loved and given dignity

People
have a home to live in and work to do

And
reconciliation takes the place of division and hatred.

This
is God’s way, this is God’s will – on earth as it is in heaven.

Thy
kingdom come, thy will be done …

But
those are principles we share with many people – people of different faiths,
people of no faith.

There
was one occasion towards the middle of Jesus’s ministry when one of Jesus’s
closest friends, john, was deeply concerned. He and the other disciples had
noticed someone casting out demons in the name of Jesus who was not one of
them, not one of jesus’s followers. Do not stop him, said jesus, for whoever is
not against you is for you.”

Maybe
there’s a reminder that it is God’s mission we are called to be involved in,
not our mission. And God is at work in the world to alleviate distress, to care
for children, to care for elderly people, to provide a home, to provide work to
bring enemies together. And we should find common cause and join in with the
work we see God already doing.

It’s
God’s mission we are involved in and it is good to share.

It
is appropriate to share with all who share those concerns.

This
is God’s mission and we are all part of it. So we find common cause not just in
work done by specifically Christian organisations but we join forces with
people of all faiths and no faith In the work of the kingdom. And in doing that
we are not doing God’s mission but sharing in the mission God is already doing.

Where
can we be involved, what can we support, what can we do n the week that lies
ahead.

328
Lord for the years

There
is one more element to this work of mission.

It’s
there right at the very beginning … and it’s even more plain right at the very
end.

For
that we need to turn to the last part of the Jesus story.

At
the very beginning Jesus knows that to follow him involves changing the way you
think, the way you live, the way you are … and that comes through commitment.

Mark 1:15

‘The
time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;

repent,
and believe in the good news.’

That
word ‘repent’ is the key and it means so much more than saying sorry. Some say
it means turning things around, making a whole new start. Yes … but the word
itself is even more interesting

Have
a whole new way of thinking – about yourself, about the world, about life
itself.

And believe
in the Good News.

So
that makes the mission of the Church a mission that involves offering people a
whole new way of thinking about themselves, about the world and about life
itself.

What
you believe in counts – and the thing to believe in is this very Good News of
the way life itself can be transformed and turned around.

The
very end of Matthew’s Gospel.

Matthew 28:19-20.

And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have
commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

This
is adding something more into the equation, another dimension to the mission we
are called to be part in church.

Our
task is ‘to make disciples of all nations’.

Following
in the footsteps of Jesus makes a difference in people’s lives. It actually
makes a difference to people.

Some
people say that what counts is having some kind of faith.

I
don’t go along with that. I have respect for people of other faiths. I want to
honour the great faiths of the world.

But
at the same time I believe there is something unique about Jesus that
transforms us deep within – he draws us to God in the most intimate of ways so
that we can know God to be the God who is love, the God who is ‘our Father’.
Jesus does map out a very particular way of life that has within it its own
fulfilment – it makes for healing and wholeness, for transformation, renewal
and change. And then comes the clinching thing – there’s a strength from beyond ourselves that we can
draw on that makes all the difference

In
those final words of Jesus there is one more thing that’a all important – a
promise he gives for us all to take to heart. I will be with you to the end of
the age.

How
can we make such a promise a reality?

As I
write these words as these notes come towards an end I find myself on my knees.
Literally on my knees. I had a meeting to go to on Friday and caught an early
train home. It was packed. I didn;’t have a reserved seat. I got to thhiw wie3
or BIRMINGHMAM typing these notes when someone claimed the seaqt I was in.

I
stood for a while and then thought I could just finish these notes off on the
floor. As I was got to my knees the guy opposige said, say one for me. I was quick to explain who I was and what is
was doing and asketd for his name. It was Peter and his fellow traveller was
Christine.

How
appropriate.

We
cannot reqach today and the call to be a missional church without being a
praying church. And that’s what we are going to do next.

After
our hymn we are going to share prayers that are on our prayer stations. I have
checked. Not the ones that are too personal – but others. As I do in those
times of prayer at the Minster that ;happen at 12-30 each day.

Text of the Week:I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings
should be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.1 Timothy 2:1-2

Welcome to today’s services and a special welcome to
any who are worshipping with us for the first time. Today is one of those
occasions when themes planned long ago seem to come together and connect with
what’s going on in the world around us. In our series looking at what it takes
to be church we arrive at the call to be Prayerful. And in our Bible Reading
notes, Fresh from the Word, we arrive
at 1 and 2 Timothy. Our text for this week urges us to pray “for everyone, for
kings and all who are in high positions”. How vitally important such prayer is
at a time when we have been so aware of political decisions driven by fear,
hatred and the demonising of other people. At our Explore evening on Tuesday
there’s a choice of activity: a craft evening in the Dining Room. And in church
we shall be welcoming Paul Clarke who last year spent three months in Jerusalem
as part of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. He will
be telling us the story of his time in Jerusalem and the West Bank and
prompting our prayers. There’s an invitation to share in prayer on Wednesday
morning from 9-30 to 10-30 and again on Thursday evening from 7-30 to 8-30. Do
remember to fill in your Highbury Change Survey and as you do that remember all
we do as a Church in your prayers as well.

Welcome and Call to Worship

342 Let all the world in every corner sing

Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer

Lord, teach us to pray

Tell the story of Jesus from Luke’s gospel chapters
1-10 – highlighting how much Luke notices Jesus praying – when he is healing
people, when he is teaching people, when he calls together the 12 who become
his ‘team’. It’s as if the followers of Jesus notice the difference prayer
makes in his life. They want to learn how to pray.

Go through the Lord’s Prayer

Reading Luke 11:9-13

Be thinking – in what way is prayer important to you.

A Hy-Spirit Song

Activities for all over 3

Called to be Prayerful

We’re exploring what it takes to be church here in
this place at this time in Highbury Congregational Church. We are called to be
Christ-centred, Spirit-filled, Bible-based, Inclusive and Open to All,
Worshipful and today we remember that we are called to be ‘prayerful’.

Prayer at the heart of our church life individually
and together as a church. What is it about prayer that makes it so important to
you?

A Time to Share

It’s more than just asking God.

It’s more about opening up that sense of God’s presence
and the strengthening that comes from that presence of God with us. Tapping
into the strength we need – plugging in to the energy source.

Prayer makes a difference as we quieten ourselves,
focus on God, give thanks and praise to God – the value of quietnesss,
focusing, mindfulness that focuses on the present moment and sees in that
moment the presence of God.

There’s a value in meditaion, stillness, quientness,
centring. And somehow a sense that that presence of God is with the person
praying for.

Prayer makes a difference in ways that can be seen and
in ways that cannot be seen. Not just in the ‘answers’ to prayer. But in that
sense of God’s presence making a difference

It also shapes what we do – if we pray for others who
are lonely it prompts us to care for those who are lonely, if we pray for those
who are sick it prompts us to do what we can to help them in their need.

There’s a real sense that we become the answer to our prayer.

Sometimes it comes easily. Sometimes it can be
difficult. I take heart from the fact that those first followers of Jesus felt
in need of some training – Lord, teach us how to pray.

I have a feeling that it’s something for us to learn
and to explore and to grow with and into – a couple of hymns and a poem somehow
capture prayer for me.

Prayer, the Church's banquet, Angels' age,

God's
breath in man returning to his birth,

The soul in
paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,

The Christian plummet sounding heav'n and earth;

Engine against th' Almighty, sinner's tower,

Reversèd
thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,

The
six-days' world transposing in an hour,

A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear:

Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,

Exalted
manna, gladness of the best,

Heaven in
ordinary, man well dressed,

The milky way, the bird of Paradise,

Church
bells beyond the stars heard, the soul's blood,

The land of
spices; something understood.

The hymn is by J.Montgomery.

1 Prayer
is the soul's supreme desire
expressed in thought or word;
the burning of a hidden fire,
a longing for the Lord.

2 Prayer is the simplest sound we
teach
when children learn God's
name;
and yet it is the noblest
speech
that human lips can frame.

3 Prayer is the secret
battleground
where victories are won;
by prayer the will of God is
found
and work for him begun.

4 Prayer is the Christian's vital
breath,
the Christian's native air,
our watchword at the gates of
death;
we enter heaven with prayer.

5 Prayer is the church's glorious
song,
our task and joy supreme;
we name our Lord in every
tongue,
and praise is all our theme.

6 Jesus, by whom we come to God,
the true and living way,
the humble path of prayer you
trod,
Lord, teach us how to pray.

Jubilate Hymns version of Prayer is the soul's sincere desire James
Montgomery (1771-1854)

372 Prayer is the soul’s supreme desire

James Montgomery was a prolific hymn writer and an
interesting person. A Moravian minister, part of that tradition was one of deep
spirituality and the importance of prayer: it influenced Charles Wesley.

For many years he edited a local paper in Sheffield –
he campaigned against slavery, he campaigned against the introduction of a
national lottery to fund the Napoleonic Wars. He was imprisoned for the views
he expressed..

He sought to apply his Christian faith to the world
around him even when that brought him up against the authorities.

Today is one of those occasions when themes planned
long ago seem to come together and connect with what’s going on in the world
around us. In our series looking at what it takes to be church we arrive at the
call to be Prayerful. And in our Bible Reading notes, Fresh from the Word, we arrive at 1 and 2 Timothy. Our text for
this week urges us to pray “for everyone, for kings and all who are in high
positions”. How vitally important such prayer is at a time when we have been so
aware of political decisions driven by fear, hatred and the demonising of other
people.

Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

How do we shape our prayers – what should we pray for
our leaders?

I go back to the opening words of the Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name

Heaven is not so much the place to get to when you
die. In the Bible it’s where God’s way prevails, where his will is fulfilled
fully, where all is well, where good prevails and evil is vanquished.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.

God’s rule involves God’s will being done.

Heaven is where God’s will is done, where God’s rule
is complete

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

We need to seek out what God’s will is.

To the prophets – that speak of justice, righteousness,
care for those mot in need, welcome for the stranger, justice, mercy.

Go to the sermon on the mount – love for God, love for
neighbour, love for enemy too.

Go to the Beatitudes – hunger and thirst for
righteousness, peacemakers.

My prayer is that God’s will be done – for justice,
for care for those most in need, for love for neighbour whoever that neighbour
might be, for love for enemy too.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

We become the answer to our prayer as we then take a
stand.

The proud boasts of doing horrible things to women,
the cruel mimicry of someone who is disabled – these are things to speak out
against and disqualify from public office. When in public office the
hatefulness the sneering, - these are dangerous things that are to be resisted.
His blanket ban on those seven countries is to be opposed because there is an
imperative to welcome the stranger – and a practical concern that it actually
does the opposite – it fuels the very terrorism it purports to oppose.

Coupled with that political dimension to praying comes
a prayer for the church – prayer for people prayer for what we do – what is our
prayer for church.

There’s one wonderful prayaer I want to hold on to. It
is the prayer for our church here at Highbury … but it is also the prayer for
us all in the response we make to the world around us, in the way we seek to
shape that world.

Reading: Ephesians 3:14-19

At our Explore evening on Tuesday there’s a choice of
activity: a craft evening in the Dining Room. And in church we shall be
welcoming Paul Clarke who last year spent three months in Jerusalem as part of
the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. He will be
telling us the story of his time in Jerusalem and the West Bank and prompting
our prayers. There’s an invitation to share in prayer on Wednesday morning from
9-30 to 10-30 and again on Thursday evening from 7-30 to 8-30. Do remember to
fill in your Highbury Change Survey and as you do that remember all we do as a
Church in your prayers as well.

Shaping our Church for tomorrow

Our sermons on Sunday mornings are exploring the way we can make that a reality.

Mapping the Church of the Future

As we re-shape the life of our church and dream dreams for the future of Highbury we are reading through Acts on Sunday evenings. Our series of sermons with the title 'Mapping the Church of the Future' is a 21st Century view of Acts.